Syrian Exhibition Standards

Syrian Exhibition Standards ALLOCATION OF POINTS FOR ALL STANDARDS Colour and markings 30 points Type 25 points Fur 20 points Size 10 points Condition 10 points Eyes and ears 5 points All judges must use this system and the judge’s decision is final. PENALTIES FOR ALL STANDARDS The penalties shall be as defined in the following table; ABNORMALITY PENALTY Totally missing limb, eye, ear, foot or tail Mandatory disqualification Any physical deformity believed by the judge to be hereditary Mandatory disqualification Suspect disease or intractability Mandatory disqualification Excess fat Minus 5 points maximum Sores, wounds, or scars Minus 10 points maximum Dirty show pen Minus 10 points maximum Fruit/vegetables – deviation from Rules Minus 2 points maximum Type, fur, size, condition, eyes and ears shall be the same for all shades and varieties as follows: TYPE (25 points) The body shall be broad and cobby. The head shall be large in proportion to the body with a broad skull, short face and blunt nose. The head shall be well set into the body, the profile showing a smooth curve from nose over head, to nape of neck. FUR (20 points) The fur shall be soft and very dense. Special attention shall be paid to the density of the belly fur. In longhaired hamsters, the coat shall be as long and dense as possible, but allowance must be made for sex, i.e. males must have longer fur than females, and the females shall not be penalised for having shorter fur. The length of fur must be taken into account when judging all classes. SIZE (10 points) The hamster shall be as large as possible, but not fat. Allowance shall be made for sex; i.e. female hamsters in general are larger than males. CONDITION (10 points) The hamster shall be fit, curious when well awake and tame to handle. The flesh shall be firm with no surplus fat. The coat shall have a healthy sheen and the hamster shall be quite clean. EYES AND EARS (5 points) The eyes shall be large, prominent and widely set. The ears shall be large, set well apart and carried erect and unfolded when the hamster is alert. (PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL REFERENCE TO COLOUR OF FUR, EYES AND EARS IS SO FAR OMITTED). EYE COLOUR The following sequence of eye colours shall apply (in increasing order of darkness): Bright clear pink Red Claret Red Claret Ruby Garnet Dark Brown Black In patterned varieties 15 points shall be allocated for colour and markings and 15 points for pattern. Where base colour is indicated this applies to the whole animal, excluding the belly fur. White feet shall be permissible on all colours, however all other white markings other than those specified in the standard shall be penalised. Where used in the standard, the word “flesh” refers to the hamster’s natural skin tone allowing for any fine covering of hair if applicable. AGOUTI VARIETIES BEIGE (bbdgdg) TOP COAT – Soft pale grey with brownish tone, carried approximately one third of the way down BASE COLOUR – Slate grey BELLY FUR – Ivory CRESCENTS – White with base colour TICKING – Lightly and evenly ticked with dark beige/brown CHEST BAND – Dark beige/brown CHEEK FLASHES – Dark beige/brown EYE COLOUR – Very dark brown, almost black EAR COLOUR – Very dark beige NOTES. BLONDE (Lglgpp) TOP COAT – Creamy blonde carried approximately one third of the way down BASE COLOUR – Light grey BELLY FUR – Ivory CRESCENTS – Ivory TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Creamy blonde, with an orange tint CHEEK FLASHES – Light grey EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Flesh grey NOTES – Tends to have orange tinted muzzle. CINNAMON (pp) TOP COAT – Rich russet orange carried approximately one third of the way down BASE COLOUR – Slate blue BELLY FUR – Creamy ivory, with a blue under colour CRESCENTS – Ivory TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Rich russet orange CHEEK FLASHES – Brown EYE COLOUR – Bright claret red EAR COLOUR – Flesh brown NOTES. GOLDEN, DARK ++ (Wild type agouti) TOP COAT – Rich dark mahogany red carried approximately one third of the way down BASE COLOUR – Dark slate grey BELLY FUR – Ivory, with grey under colour CRESCENTS – Pale ivory, almost white TICKING – Heavily and evenly ticked with black, dorsal line and hair on scalp intensely shaded. Face to be swarthy with black eye rings. CHEST BAND – Rich dark mahogany red CHEEK FLASHES – Black EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. GREY, DARK (dgdg) TOP COAT – Pearly grey carried approximately one quarter of the way down BASE COLOUR – Dark slate grey BELLY FUR – Ivory, with a grey under coat CRESCENTS – Ivory TICKING – Heavily and evenly ticked with black, shaded as for dark golden, i.e. face to be swarthy with black eye rings CHEST BAND – Very dark slate grey CHEEK FLASHES – Black EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. GREY, LIGHT (Lglg) TOP COAT – Buttermilk-grey, carried approximately one third of the way down BASE COLOUR – Dark slate grey BELLY FUR – Buttermilk, with grey base-colour CRESCENTS – Buttermilk TICKING – Heavily and evenly ticked with dark grey, almost black, shaded as for dark golden CHEST BAND – Dark brown/grey CHEEK FLASHES – Dark grey, almost black (concentrated ticking) EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey NOTES. GREY, SILVER (SgSg) TOP COAT – Light Silvery Grey BASE COLOUR – Dark Slate Grey BELLY FUR – Light Silvery Grey to the roots-no ticking CRESCENTS – Light Silvery Grey TICKING – Heavy and evenly ticked with Black (excluding belly fur) CHEST BAND – Mid Grey CHEEK FLASHES – Concentrated Black ticking EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Very dark Grey almost Black NOTES – This gene has been found to be extremely dominant. Caution should be exercised when breeding these animals. HONEY (ppTo – male, ppToTo – female) TOP COAT – Light cinnamon orange to the roots BASE COLOUR – Light cinnamon orange BELLY FUR – Ivory, almost white CRESCENTS – Ivory, almost white TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Light cinnamon orange CHEEK FLASHES – Cinnamon EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Flesh grey NOTES. LILAC (dgdgpp) TOP COAT – Soft pale grey with pinkish tone BASE COLOUR – Soft pale grey BELLY FUR – Ivory CRESCENTS – Ivory with a pinkish tone TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Soft pale grey with pinkish tone CHEEK FLASHES – Warm grey EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Pinkish grey NOTES. RUST (GUINEA GOLD) (bb) TOP COAT – Rich orange brown BASE COLOUR – Brownish grey BELLY FUR – Ivory, with pale grey under colour CRESCENTS – Ivory TICKING – Light and even ticking of brown CHEST BAND – Deep rust brown CHEEK FLASHES – Deep rust brown EYE COLOUR – Very dark brown, almost black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey with a hint of pink NOTES. SMOKE PEARL (dgdgTo = male; dgdgToTo = female) TOP COAT – Pale greyish cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Pale greyish cream BELLY FUR – Ivory, almost white CRESCENTS – Ivory, almost white TICKING – Heavy and even black ticking CHEST BAND – Pale greyish cream CHEEK FLASHES – Black – not solid but concentrated ticking EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. YELLOW (To = male; ToTo = female) TOP COAT – Rich dusky yellow carried well down BASE COLOUR – Ivory yellow BELLY FUR – Ivory CRESCENTS – Ivory TICKING – Heavy and even black ticking overall CHEST BAND – Rich dusky yellow CHEEK FLASHES – Black – not solid but concentrated ticking EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. SELF VARIETIES BLACK (aa) TOP COAT – Black BASE COLOUR – Black BELLY FUR – Black CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Black NOTES – Genetic details; This is a melanistic black, produced by a simple recessive gene, and is capable of true breeding. The genotype for this colour is “aa”. CHOCOLATE (aabb) TOP COAT – Dark chocolate brown carried well down BASE COAT – Mid brown BELLY FUR – Dark chocolate brown CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHESTBAND – Absent CHEEKFLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Very dark greyish brown. NOTES – The top colour should be the rich chocolate of plain Bourneville chocolate. COPPER (UUeebbpp) TOP COAT -Rich clear copper to the roots BASE COLOUR – Rich clear copper BELLY FUR – Rich clear copper CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Garnet EAR COLOUR – Copper grey NOTES. CREAM, BLACK-EYED (ee) TOP COAT – Deep rich cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Deep rich cream BELLY FUR – Deep rich cream CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. CREAM, RED-EYED (eepp) TOP COAT – Deep rich pinkish cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Deep rich pinkish cream BELLY FUR – Deep rich pinkish cream CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Peach grey NOTES. CREAM, RUBY-EYED (eeruru) TOP COAT – Warm pastel cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Warm pastel cream BELLY FUR – Warm pastel cream CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Ruby EAR COLOUR – Flesh NOTES. DOVE (aapp) TOP COAT – Dove grey with a deep lilac tone, to the roots. BASE COLOUR – Dove grey with a deep lilac tone. BELLY FUR – Dove grey with a deep lilac tone. CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Flesh grey NOTES IVORY, BLACK-EYED (eeLglg or eedgdg) TOP COAT – Pale greyish cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Pale greyish cream BELLY FUR – Pale greyish cream CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. IVORY, RED-EYED (eeLglgpp or eedgdgpp) TOP COAT – Pale greyish cream to the roots BASE COLOUR – Pale greyish cream BELLY FUR – Pale greyish cream CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Garnet EAR COLOUR – Pinkish grey NOTES. MELANISTIC YELLOW (ToToaa = Female, Totoaa = Male) TOP COAT – Black tipping to each hair carried ¼ of the way down to rich dusky yellow BASE COLOUR – Ivory yellow. BELLY FUR – Ivory yellow undercoat with black tips to each hair CRESCENTS – Absent. TICKING – Absent. CHEST BAND – Absent. CHEEK FLASHES – Absent. EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. MINK (UUeepp or Uueepp) TOP COAT – Warm mid brown with an orange tinge. The eyes shall be ringed with fine pinkish cream hairs. BASE COLOUR – Deep, rich pinkish cream. BELLY FUR – Warm mid brown with an orange tinge. CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND -Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Claret red EAR COLOUR – Flesh grey NOTES. SABLE (UUee) TOP COAT – Black, carried well down. The eyes shall be ringed with fine ivory cream hairs. BASE COLOUR – Ivory cream BELLY FUR – Black CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES. This is not a solid jet black animal due to the presence of its undercolour. Browning will be penalised. WHITE, BLACK-EYED (eeDsds or eeWhwh or ???) TOP COAT – White to the roots BASE COLOUR – White BELLY FUR – White CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Black EAR COLOUR – Dark Grey, almost Black NOTES. WHITE (ALBINO), DARK EARED (cdcd) TOP COAT – White to the roots BASE COLOUR – White BELLY FUR – White CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Red EAR COLOUR – Dark grey, almost black NOTES – Eyes darken with age WHITE (ALBINO), FLESH EARED (cdcdpp) TOP COAT – White to the roots BASE COLOUR – White BELLY FUR – White CRESCENTS – Absent TICKING – Absent CHEST BAND – Absent CHEEK FLASHES – Absent EYE COLOUR – Bright clear pink EAR COLOUR – Flesh NOTES. PATTERNED VARIETIES Care must be taken when breeding patterned animals as some patterns contain the anophthalmic or white bellied gene, (Wh). DOMINANT SPOT (PIEBALD) (Dsds or ss) The dominant spot shall have the appearance of a white animal with coloured spots. The spots shall be sharply defined and evenly distributed over the top surface of the animal. The belly fur shall be white. The white areas shall be white to the roots. The coloured spots shall conform to the recognised corresponding full coloured variety. Eye colour: as for the full coloured variety, also ruby/red eye or eyes permissible. Ear colour: as for the full coloured variety, also flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible. NOTES WHITE BAND (BaBa or Baba) The white banded animal shall have the appearance of coloured animal with a superimposed white band. The white band shall completely encircle the body and be centrally placed and not skewed. The width shall be approximately one third of the body length, completely unbroken with sharply defined and parallel margins. The belly fur shall be white. The white areas shall be white to the roots. The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised full colour variety. Eye colour: as for the full coloured variety, also ruby/red eye or eyes permissible. Ear colour: as for the full coloured variety, also flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible. NOTES BANDED DOMINANT SPOT (BaBaDsds, BabaDsds or rdrd) The Banded Dominant Spot hamster shall have the appearance of a dominant spot or piebald animal with a broad white band superimposed. The white band shall extend from the neck to the hips, ideally 2/3 of the body length, and contain no coloured markings. The head and the rump shall conform to the Dominant Spot or Piebald standard, (i.e. give the appearance of the white animal with coloured markings). Coloured areas shall conform to the relevant colour standard. White areas shall be white to the roots. Belly fur shall be white to the roots. Eye colour shall be as for the full coloured variety. Red or ruby eye or eyes are also permissible. Ear colour shall be as for the full coloured variety. Mottled ears are also permissible. TORTOISESHELL AND WHITE (TotoBaba, TotoBaBa, or TotoDsds) A tortoiseshell is a sex-linked bi-coloured animal. The standard calls for a tricoloured animal which is produced by combining the tortoiseshell with a white pattern gene. The coat colour shall consist of a balanced pattern of coloured, yellow and white patches. These patches shall be clear and distinct with no brindling. The Yellow based patches shall be clearly defined and of a colour appropriate to the hamster’s standard colour. Where the Yellow based colour is also recognised as standard, any Yellow patches must conform to the standard. In other cases the Judge may use discretion when judging non-standard yellow patches The belly fur shall be white. Eye colour: as stipulated for the full colour variety; also red/ruby eye or eyes permissible. Ear colour: as stipulated for the full colour variety; also flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible. TORTOISESHELL (Toto) Overall Appearance: A tortoiseshell is a bi-coloured animal which consists of a balanced pattern of coloured and yellow patches. These patches shall be clear and distinct with no brindling. The Yellow based patches shall be clearly defined and of a colour appropriate to the hamster’s standard colour. Where the Yellow based colour is also recognised as standard, any Yellow patches must conform to the standard. In other cases the Judge may use discretion when judging non-standard yellow patches ROAN (Whwh) Overall Appearance: The Roan shall have the appearance of a white animal ticked with colour. The ticking shall be heavy around the head and give an evenly marbled appearance over the remainder of the top coat. The white areas shall be white to the roots. The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised coloured variety allowing for slight dilution. The belly fur shall be marbled with colour. Eye Colour: As for the full coloured variety also ruby or red eye or eyes permissible. Ear Colour: As for the full coloured variety also flesh or partly flesh coloured ears permissible. COAT VARIETIES LONG HAIR The colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard, allowing for the dilution effect of the long-haired gene; this is particularly noticeable on the ticking of agouti varieties, but will also affect other varieties. The fur shall be soft, very dense, and evenly long over the entire top surface of the body, excluding the face, where it shall be shorter. Special attention shall be paid to the density of the belly fur. The coat shall be as long and dense as possible, but allowance must be made for sex, i.e. males must have longer fur than females, and the females shall not be penalised for having shorter fur. NOTES: This coat type may be combined with satin and/or rex. SATIN The colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard, allowing for the effect of the satinisation. The fur shall be soft and dense, and have a glossy, satin sheen. NOTES: This coat type may be combined with long hair and/or rex. Under no circumstances should two satins be mated together, as this will result in “double satinisation” and, eventually, almost naked hamsters. A satin must only be mated with a non-satinised variety. REX The colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard, for diluting effect of the rex gene; this is particularly noticeable on the ticking of agouti varieties, but will also affect other varieties. The coat shall be soft and dense, and evenly “frizzy”. The whiskers shall be curly. NOTES: This coat type may be combined with satin and/or long hair. 